Anatoly Zverev widely known in Russia and abroad as a master of free improvisation patches of color and linear rhythms. Vladimir Yakovlev – creator lyrically naive and at the same time expressive works, reflecting his unique, deeply vulnerable inner world. With a difference of a few years, they quickly went into the artistic life of Moscow in the 1950s, when the art was dominated by socialist realism. However, both opted for the personal independence as a condition of free creativity.

Endowed by nature of the beast painted since childhood. At the end of handicraft school, he entered the Moscow Art School in 1905, but was soon expelled for free nature and “untidy”. Later, he was already working as an independent artist, pushing the horizons for themselves “other art”.

Vladimir Yakovlev, the grandson of the painter and stage designer Michael N. Yakovlev, a child and dreamed of becoming an artist. Interest in the visual arts has awakened in him in his youth. Their “university”, he was in the publishing house “Art”, where he worked first courier and then as a retoucher and photo library keeper.
Like many artists of their generation VI World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow, with its atmosphere of openness and direct dialogue of different cultures finally buried the myth of the only right artistic method in art – socialist realism. Creative impulse for Zvereva and Yakovlev was the familiarity with contemporary Western European and American art.
      

              [Anatoly Zverev.] [Yakovlev]

Anatoly Zverev “developed rapidly and irresistibly, constantly testing new forms, fusing different styles of art and philosophy, and in this bright alloy born infinitely variable, but always recognizable” Zverev style. ” The way of life has made it part of the history of the Russian avant-garde at the turn of the 50-60’s, just out of a talented painter Zverev has become a symbol of the free “unofficial” art. “

Vladimir Yakovlev, after going through a brief period of fascination with lyrical abstraction, turned to figurative art, working on the creation of images symbolic and meditative character. However, the most important stage in the formation of Yakovlev starts with finding an individual artistic language, which is subject to an internal breakdown, excessive emotional tension, sharp bend lines and rhythms. Yakovlev painting – a world of reality exposed simple objects, shapes, animals, and flowers, “each of which was a variant, or rather, a mirror of his inner world.”

For Zvereva and Yakovlev art was not so much a way of existence as the meaning and justification of life. Being disinterested, they worked long and fruitful. It is no coincidence, each of them at the beginning of his career was marked by experts and connoisseurs of art. Zvereva first opened taught VGIK Rumnev A man of the highest culture. A little later, his work began to buy G. Kostakis, a major collector of Russian avant-garde. Adding to his collection of works by contemporary artists, Kostakis soon turned his attention to Vladimir Yakovlev. The talent of this young artist, and other noted connoisseur of Russian avant-garde art of the early XX century, N. Khardzhiev.

Zverev early starts to exhibit abroad. Thanks to the well-known Russian-born French conductor I. Markevich his exhibition in 1965 with great success in Paris and Geneva. Yakovlev fame in the West helped to close friends and, above all, G. Aigi. The first solo exhibition was held in Copenhagen in 1976.

Official recognition of the museum community of artists has become possible only in the years of perestroika. In 1990, the exhibition “Other Art” in the Tretyakov Gallery Yakovlev brought from the orphanage, which was the last sad refuge of the artist. By this time, Zverev was no longer alive. It is no coincidence the creative heritage of the two masters of Russian art are exhibited in major museums are not the best of jobs. Most of that was created by them in the most productive period of his work, now in private collections in Russia and abroad.

“The great confrontation” official and unofficial art, which began during the Khrushchev “thaw” and lasted for several decades, has generated a lot of myths about artists, among them – the myth of the drunkard and whacky (Anatoly Zverev) and the myth of the half-blind artist, suffering from mental illness ( Vladimir Yakovlev). However, over time, these seemed to be the stereotypes that have given way to a deep understanding of art of these two great masters, whose life and creative life was dramatic, but not hinder creative expression. Today, Anatoly Zverev, Vladimir Yakovlev took their place in the generally accepted history of Russian art of XX century.

Exhibition devoted to the two brightest representatives of the Moscow expressionism of the second half of the XX century, opens Feb. 18, 2011 in the gallery “House Nashokin.” It will feature the best works of the creative legacy of artists working in different genres and themes of art.

The exhibition runs from February 18
Daily from 12.00 to 21.00
Ticket price 200 rub. and 100 rubles. (Grace)